From a cart-puller’s daughter to Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee, Rani Rampal has achieved almost everything at just the age of 25. Hailing from Shahabad Markanda a town in Kurukshetra district of Haryana , she started training for field hockey at the Shahabad Hockey Academy in 2003.She made her Senior team debut when she was just 14 years, which made her the youngest player in the Indian Women’s Hockey team. At the age of 15, she was the youngest player in the national team which participated in the 2010 Hockey World Cup.She led the team to victory in the Asia Cup in 2017 and Indian women’s hockey team as captain in 2018 Asian Games, where they won a silver medal for team India.She was also awarded Padma Shri in 2020.
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Truly inspiring journey!
And today she is conferred with the top sporting laurel in India, The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
“It is an amazing feeling when your hard work is rewarded, and I believe this Award will serve as a great motivation for me and players like me to keep striving for bigger feats and make the country proud,” Rani said in a release issued by Hockey India.
The National Sports Awards ceremony will take place virtually on August 29 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Rani Rampal has led Indian women’s Hockey team to new heights. In 2019 she became the first Indian to be awarded with the World Games Athlete of the Year award and now honouring her with Khel Ratna will boost her morale. Rani and the team are heralding a new, exciting era in Indian hockey.
In the last few years, the team under Captain Cool Rani Rampal has made a mark at all prestigious competitions and now Olympic 2021 should be their only goal. More power to Indian Women’s Hockey team.
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Truly inspirational! Struggles she would have faced can’t be even imagined by some of us.
Players coming up from soil of the land making us all proud!
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Hats off to Rani!
RANI RAMPAL | Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain | Exclusive Interview, Part 1
Exclusive Interview, Part 2 | RANI RAMPAL | Indian Women’s Hockey Team Captain
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